


The Education of Prince Sai Tian

by opalmatrix



Category: Saiyuki, Saiyuki Gaiden
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient China, Developing Relationship, Growing Up, Intrigue, Master/Servant, Multi, Pygmalion, Rags to Riches, Teacher-Student Relationship, court intrigue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-07 23:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12242832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/pseuds/opalmatrix
Summary: When Goku, the Terrible Prince, unexpectedly becomes the emperor's heir, his companion Kouryuu the Orphan is given the daunting task of turning him into a suitable crown prince.





	The Education of Prince Sai Tian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [genkisakka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/genkisakka/gifts).



> Written for Genkisakka for the 2017 round of 7th Night Smut. Much thanks to the Merciful Goddess for Hir patience with how late this was, as well as to my Beta readers, [**lawless**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawless/pseuds/lawless) and [**whymzycal**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whymzycal/pseuds/whymzycal).,/p>

Kouryuu leaned on his broom and sighed. The Prince was a roving dust cloud when he'd been outdoors, and who had to clean his quarters? Kouryuu the Orphan, Prince Goku's only servant, that's who.

His self-pitying reverie was broken violently when the outer door of the suite slammed open, rattling the carved panels of the door itself as well as every piece of pottery and ceramic in the sitting room. Kouryuu, startled, recognized the man in the doorway as a mid-ranking official of the Department of Ceremonies. "You!" snapped the fellow. "Clean yourself up, put on your finest garments, and come with me. The emperor himself has commanded your presence in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

Kouryuu's breath caught in his throat. How could this be? A low-born person such as himself was not even supposed to come anywhere near the emperor's presence.

"Why do you stand there like a newborn calf?" barked the official. Kouryuu could see that there was a small squad of guards in the corridor behind him. "Move your baseborn carcass!"

Kouryuu ran into the small cell that served as his own room, although he rarely slept there. There was fresh water in the jug on his wash stand, thank Heaven. He stripped off his servant's work clothes, sponged himself clean, and dried himself. He had only one set of clothing that could be called respectable: the festival outfit that the Prince had demanded for him last year. Fortunately, he seemed to have stopped growing three years ago, in his twentieth year. He put on fresh muslin body linen, coarse silk leggings, a tunic belted with a sash, an open coat, and a cap, all in shades of brown or ecru. His slippers were plain cloth, with no embroidery. He would not have felt underdressed delivering a letter to his master's old tutor in his apartment near the Hall of LIterary Brilliance, but surely he was not dressed suitably for the Imperial Court.

A sneer greeted him when he came out into the sitting room. "I suppose that is indeed your best," growled the official. "Come along; don't dawdle!"

Kouryuu hastened to follow the man, and the four guards closed in behind him. The party marched briskly out of the humble building near the Gate of the Western Flower, where the emperor's scapegrace second son had his quarters, and took the least public route to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, passing through the wooded park outside the Hall of Military Glory and skirting the massive wall the separated the four halls of Harmony from the lesser buildings and courtyards around them. They mounted the stairs at the side of the small Hall of Middle Harmony and were escorted by a more magnificent troop of guards to a modest rear entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony itself.

There Kouryuu was seized by the arms by two sturdy eunuchs of the Imperial Household and hustled through the door to an antechamber crowded with various officials and courtiers. There was an uneasy undertone to their low-voiced conversation: something important, something unfortunate, must have occurred.

As he stood in isolation between two anxiously murmuring groups of important men, a whirlwind of blue and green silks came through the room, making a beeline straight for him. He was startled to recognize his master, the Terrible Prince. Goku was usually preternaturally agile in his movements, but the masses of silken robes in which he was now dressed seemed to pull him off balance. As he leapt to embrace Kouyuu in his usual impetuous fashion, his hard head struck his friend and servant in the nose.

To Kouryuu's horror, he could feel his nose beginning to bleed.

Three very splendid-looking officials trotted up in Goku's wake. "Prince Goku!" bellowed the tallest. "Come away instantly! You must attend on your father this minute!"

They surrounded him, cutting him away from Kouryuu as neatly as herd dogs with an errant young ram. "Kouryuuu!" wailed Goku, as they hurried him off.

Kouryuu sniffed hard, trying to keep the blood from running out of his nose onto his clean clothing. "Here," said a sweet tenor voice, and a silken kerchief was pressed into his hand.

He pressed it gratefully to his nose. Standing in front of him was a young man in the court robes of an Imperial physician. "That's better, isn't it?" the fellow said. "Has the bleeding been staunched?"

"I don't think so," mumbled Kouryuu, after a pause. This day was just getting worse and worse. He wondered how much time he had before he was dragged bleeding into the Imperial presence.

"Well, then," said the doctor. "Gojyo, hold him firmly, please. No, by the shoulders."

A very strong grip seized Kouryuu's shoulders, and the doctor's smooth, slender hands were darting toward Kouryuu's face. Two cool fingers pressed firmly into the flesh at each side of the base of his nose. It hurt like the heels of Hell, but Kouryuu did not cry out. After a few interminable moments, the doctor pulled his hands away, and the hands released his shoulders. "Good man," rumbled a rough voice behind him, and he was patted on the back. "I shouted like a stuck pig the first time he did that to me."

"How is it now?" asked the physician. His eyes, gentle with concern, were an odd light green in color.

Kouryuu sniffed gingerly. Now he felt only as though he had a mild cold. "Much better," he said. "Thank you, noble doctor."

The fellow laughed softly. "I'm barely noble, Kouryuu. Aha, they are sorting us into groups to go before His Imperial Majesty. Take heart: your fortunes may well be taking a turn for the better."

"Or at least the more interesting," said the other man, stepping around Kouryuu. He was a tall, wiry fellow dressed in the court garb of an officer of one of the Imperial military cohorts, although Kouryuu didn't recognize the emblems on his heavy silk coat. His hair, where it showed beneath his neat silk cap, was dark red. _Barbarian blood somewhere,_ thought Kouryuu.

Why did the doctor know his name?

The military officer winked at Kouryuu as he strode off behind the physician. His familiar manner was very irritating but also somewhat comforting. It made a warm contrast to the way the other high-ranking people in the room were avoiding looking at Kouryuu at all.

"By left little toe of the August Personage of Jade, who is _this?_ " said a cold voice.

Kouryuu turned and recognized the emperor's second cousin, Li Touten, Duke of the Defense. Horrified, he dropped to the ground and hastened to knock his forehead on the floor in the kowtow, the traditional obeisance given to a member of the imperial family.

"It is the servant of the Terrible Prince, Your Excellency. The young person called Kouryuu, the one of the river's flow," someone said. The voice was cultured and impersonal: another official, no doubt.

"Ah," said the Duke. "The doxy of the late scholar Koumyou Sanzo. Get up, boy."

Resentment bubbled up over Kouryuu's fears. It was bad enough that the other scholars had lobbed such insinuations at him during his childhood, when Koumyou was still alive. Koumyou had feared nothing and had treated all with the same impartial and absent-minded courtesy. Kouryuu got to his feet and stood straight, although his eyes were respectfully on the ground.

"Huh," said the Duke, dismissively. "No matter. Come along, Shang." The two men turned away and joined the head of the procession that was being formed. Another fussy official came and herded Kouryuu into the end of the line. Kouryuu noted that the doctor and the red-haired officer were perhaps halfway between his own position and the middle of the ranked noblemen.

There followed rather a long wait. The soles of Kouryuu's feet were numb by the time he realized that the procession had started to move. The pace was stately, through halls decorated in precious woods and intricately carved stone. At last Kouryuu passed through gilded doors decorated with imperial dragons, which closed after him, and he was gestured into place along the western wall of the magnificent throne room. The walls were decorated with hangings woven with dragons whose scales were detailed in gold thread. Red-painted pillars held up the roof, save near the throne, where the pillars were sheathed in gold leaf. The throne was of rosewood, carved so that it appeared to be made of the bodies and limbs of five dragons, whose heads would appear behind the emperor when he was seated upon its silken cushions.

Again the nobles and Kouryuu stood, but this time not one spoke to his companions. Kouryuu looked around the great hall with as much circumspection as he could. Goku was nowhere to be seen. Li Touten was standing quite near the throne, and beside him stood a slender youth of no great stature, dressed to a similar degree of dignity and splendor.

Suddenly, deep-toned drums beat out a solemn rhythm. The doors were flung open again, and in marched the emperor, followed by his most senior ministers. The officials ranked themselves to each side of the throne, and the emperor seated himself upon it. Every other person in the room threw himself to floor, facedown. Kouryuu framed his face with his hands to avoid damaging his nose any further.

Some sort of signal must have been given, because everyone climbed to his feet. The emperor was dressed in a fine robe of hand-embroidered yellow silk with a sumptuous black coat. On his head was the mianguan, the imperial crown with its flat, board-like top and fringe of jade beads. "People of the capital, denizens of the Forbidden City," he said, "As you have no doubt heard, we no longer have an heir. The person formerly known as Zhongying has departed the Forbidden Palace on our order, and he must leave the empire as fast as his unworthy feet may carry him."

A faint murmur of dismay arose from the watching courtiers and was quickly hushed. Kouryuu's gut was turning to ice. What had Goku's elder half-brother done, and what did it mean for Kouryuu and his master?

"You have been brought here today to witness the appointment of our new heir," said the Emperor. He waved one hand, and new procession entered the hall: ritual officials in somber garb, carrying a brazier filled with hot coals, a tripod to hold it, lacquered boxes, a small table, and jars that no doubt contained incense, wine, and water. The furnishings were neatly set up, the table spread with silk and set with a jade disk, a flask of wine, and dishes of ritual foods that Kouryuu recognized from public ceremonies: grains, nuts, broth.

"The young man may enter," said the emperor, at last.

Goku came in, trembling like a wild horse dragged by an unaccustomed bridle. He walked slowly toward the father he had so seldom seen, until he stood before the ritual table. The chief of the ritual spoke solemnly to the assembly: "The gods and spirits are above us. Observe the ceremony carefully!" 

The emperor cast incense into the brazier, three times. The officiant chanted a prayer over the offerings on the table, reading it from a small scroll, and then he poured the emperor a cup of the blessed wine. The emperor drank it and gestured to the officiant, who filled the cup again and passed it to Goku, who was trembling so badly that a drop of wine spilled to the floor. None of the other participants in the ceremony showed any sign of noticing this, and after a moment, Goku managed to drink the rest of the wine.

"May Heaven and all who are here today witness that this young man, the son of our body, is our heir, to take the Dragon Throne after our death," said the emperor. The ritual officials packed everything neatly away in its boxes and jars, and last of all, the scroll and the silk were burned in the brazier. The officiants gathered the ceremonial objects and carried them out of the hall once more.

The emperor resumed the throne and beckoned to Goku, who took hold of himself with a visible effort and came to stand before his father. "Your name shall now be Sai Tian. You shall sit here, by our side." He gestured to a cushion on the platform just below the throne dais, off to one side. Goku walked forward slowly and seated himself awkwardly, his mass of silk robes crumpling beneath him. His face was greyish beneath his healthy tan. The emperor's lips twitched, and then he raised his eyes to gaze around the hall at the assembly there. "Salute Sai Tian, crown prince and heir to the Dragon Throne!" he commanded.

Everyone kowtowed again. When they rose, the emperor's gaze swept the room again. "We summon the person known as Kouryuu of the River's Flow, fosterling to the late Koumyou Sanzo. Come forth and stand before us."

Goku, surprised, looked around. His gaze met Kouryuu's, and a trace of color came back to his wan face. Kouryuu, whose mouth was trying to hang open, set his jaw and walked forward quietly, gently, thinking of Koumyou. He stopped at about the point where he recalled the altar had been set up and prostrated himself again.

"It is well for the baseborn man to abase himself before us," observed the emperor. "However, a man of no standing cannot serve our heir. Therefore we now declare you Lord Jianguo Sanzo, Jianguo because you will build our realm by rebuilding our heir, and Sanzo in honor of your late foster-father. Arise, Lord Jianguo Sanzo, first chamberlain of our heir Prince Sai Tian."

Kouryuu thought he might expire right there, on his face in front of the emperor. Then he remembered Goku's face and drew in a deep breath. He rose to stand before the emperor as his friend's ally and his father's son. The emperor looked into his eyes and nodded. "We know you are accustomed to hard labor, and that is a good thing, for a laborious task is charged to you. Our son must no longer be the 'Terrible Prince.' Yes, we know what they call him. All are eager to remind us that his mother was a barbarian, a woman of earth rather than the heavens. He must become a man who will make them forget this. You have the space of a year. You will not fail. Speak to my chamberlain about the resources you will need." He smiled, a smile of power and command. "You may leave our presence," said the emperor.

A faint sound reached Kouryuu's ears. As he kowtowed once more, he was able to glance toward its origin. Li Touten had a hand over his mouth, but his eyes were filled with mirthful mockery. His other hand was on the shoulder of the young man by his side. _That must be his son, Lord Nataku. He is Goku's cousin._ Nataku's eyes were on Goku, and his expression was unreadable.

Kouryuu, Lord Jianguo Sanzo, rose and backed carefully out of his emperor's presence. Goku watched him go, anguish in his eyes.

Outside, in the hallway, several junior officials in the livery of the Imperial Household gestured him over, around the corner and out of sight of the massive doorway to the throne room. "You will wait here, Lord Sanzo, for our master." He knew they meant the imperial chamberlain, so he stood with them patiently. He heard the rustle of silks and the dignified footsteps of the emperor's party, but he could not tell whether Goku was among them. Then the courtiers began to leave, in order of importance. Now that the ceremony was over and the emperor gone, they were talking among themselves.

Li Touten came around the corner and gave him a sardonic smile that showed too many teeth. "Congratulations on your promotion, young lord. I wish you luck. You'll need it." Kouryuu kowtowed to him, because he was the emperor's cousin, and he strode on, chuckling. Other officials drifted by, looking at him curiously or suspiciously. He kept his face still and did breathing exercises. He felt he had fallen into deep water, but Goku needed him to save them both.

At last the chamberlain, whom Kouryuu knew by sight, came bustling up to him. His aristocratic face was flushed beneath its layer of smoothing cosmetics. "L-lord Sanzo. Of c-course an appropriate residence must be made ready for the crown prince. Such things cannot be done in haste! Tonight you m-must remain in the honored one's c-current humble abode. B-but tomorrow—! The traditional residence of the crown prince and his consort is the P-palace of Gathering Essence."

_Consort!_ Kouryuu was appalled. Of course they needed to find a consort for Goku, and everyone would expect him to want concubines too. The only problem was, Goku had shown little interest in women. Kouryuu had mainly been relieved.

And that raised another, uglier question. Prince Zhongying had had a consort. What had become of _her_?

"Hnnn, thank you, Lord Chamberlain," he said. "But surely the Palace of Gathering Essence needs to be, er, cleaned?"

The chamberlain looked outraged and then relieved. "Th-that is so, Lord Sanzo."

"Aren't the princes usually housed in the dwellings in the Three Southern Places until they marry?" Goku should have been, but he was so unruly once he was too old for the nursery that he had never been moved there.

"Indeed, Lord Sanzo." The chamberlain retrieved a silk kerchief from his coat sleeve and gently patted his face. "If you believe it to be suitable … ? It is empty at this time."

"Then there should be plenty of room for us." The Three Southern Places, despite its name, actually consisted of more than a dozen small houses, all with green-tiled roofs to encourage the healthy growth of the young princes who lived there, set among courtyards and small gardens. The current emperor had so few sons that it had not seen much use in years.

"Indeed." The chamberlain was looking healthier and more confident every minute. "We could easily arrange for you and the crown prince to move tomorrow. I will arrange for meals and servants: sweepers, pages, a valet, an under-chamberlain to manage them, a secretary for you, and so forth."

"Sounds great." Inwardly, Kouryuu was appalled. Except for the old man who delivered their meals and a single servant who took care of the laundry and slept elsewhere, he himself had done all the work that caring for Goku involved. And aside from Goku's occasional overgrown playmates—the sons of various nobles who had nothing better to do with their time because no one had trusted them with any formal duties—Kouryuu was not used to company in their apartments.

"Have no c-concerns, Lord Sanzo," said the chamberlain. "All shall be arranged. And once your household is established there, you have only to send a message to me for anything else you need."

"Thank you, Lord Chamberlain," said Kouryuu. Around them, rest of the audience was dispersing to their duties or possibly to share tea and gossip with each other in the wake of the morning's extraordinary events. And there had been no sign of Goku. "Do you have any idea of where the crown prince has gone?"

"His excellency planned to have his heir to the mid-day meal, to speak with him of his new duties," said the chamberlain. "I daresay he will return to his apartment this evening."

That meant that Kouryuu had nothing to do but fret until then. It looked like he'd be doing a lot of meditation. "Thanks. I'd better get back there myself. I have a lot to plan."

"Of course," said the chamberlain, serene now that he knew what he had to do. Kouryuu envied him.

All the way back to their little apartment, Kouryuu was aware of eyes on him. The sight of noblemen— _other_ noblemen—made him wonder whether he would also be expected to have a servant with him at all times, holding a sunshade over him if the day was bright. The thought set his teeth on edge.

When he got to their door, a boy of thirteen or fourteen was waiting for him, holding a folded letter. The boy's clothes were those of a well-born page, although less whimsical than the liveries of such messengers often were. "Who sent you?" he asked, without reaching for the letter.

"The physician Cho Hakkai," said the lad. The family name was oddly familiar, although Kouryuu was not sure he had ever heard the personal name.

"About my age? Green eyes?"

"Yes, Lord Sanzo."

Kouryuu took the letter and broke the thread that bound it closed.

>   
>  _Kouryuu—_
> 
> I am sure that all of this has come as quite a shock. Forgive me for offering advice, but I feel you sorely need it.
> 
> Might I call upon you this hour? I may be able to help.
> 
> Please do not imagine that this will put me in your debt. On the contrary, I feel that I owe you and Master Koumyou my life. You may recall how burdened with grief I was when I first arrived at the Forbidden Palace, and how you and your foster-father persuaded me that life was still worth having.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> Cho Hakkai (Gonou), third physician of the Imperial Hospital

Kouryuu stared at the paper. The signature was Cho's official seal, with his childhood name written small beneath it. Memories stirred, from the last year before his foster-father's death. A slim, pale boy with strange green eyes, gloomy and withdrawn. Even Kouryuu, who disliked boisterous classmates, had found him offputting. Koumyou had counseled him to patience: "Gonou's parents died when he and his twin sister were quite small. Then a greedy man cast his eyes on the beautiful sister, and terrible things happened. Now the sister is dead as well." The two boys had become friends after a few months. When Koumyou died, the emperor's chief scholar had arranged for Gonou, who was a brilliant student, to be sent to another famous scholar in a city far to the north to continue his education. 

_How long has he been back in the Forbidden City?_ It might have been for a year or more: Kouryuu and the prince had no business with the Imperial Hospital, and no one ever gossiped with Kouryuu about the comings and goings of scholars and doctors in the southeastern quadrant.

"Just a moment," he said to the kid. He went to the battered writing desk in the corner of the room, pulled out a brush, dribbled some water from the little flask onto the inkstone, and wrote beneath Cho's message:

>   
>  __  
> To the honorable physician Cho—
> 
> I am interested in hearing your proposal. I would be honored by your presence today.
> 
> Kouryuu 

He hesitated, staring at the signature, and then added, _(Lord Jianguo Sanzo)_

He got up and gave the letter to the boy, who smiled and sketched a bow before running off to the east.

Kouryuu washed out the brush and then just stood, staring at the commonplace little room that had been his home for more than a dozen years. Surely there was something he should be doing about packing to move? They owned so little. At last he went to Goku's bedroom and started to pack their cold weather clothing into a large basket.

Eventually there was a knock at the door and a cultured voice calling "Hello?"

Kouryuu looked back into the main room. The physician was at the door, wearing the more somber everyday gown of a well-off doctor or scholar. And there seemed to be a crowd of other people behind him. "Come in, please," Kouryuu said, abandoning the packing job. "Who—?"

"I've brought lunch," said Cho, serenely. A small troop of servants poured in as he stepped aside. In short order they had set up a lacquered folding table, covered it with dishes and cups, and set deep blue silk cushions beside it, invitingly. The servants bowed at Kouryuu and left as swiftly as they had come. Over their heads, outside, Kouryuu saw a couple of armed men.

"Are those _soldiers_?" he asked, feeling as though he were falling into a deep well.

"Ah, yes," said Cho, and now he sounded a little embarrassed. "Gojyo—Captain Sha—sent some of his troop with me. He said you might need protection, and I had to agree."

_Protection?_ Kouryuu was aghast. But of course. He and Goku were now at the center of imperial politics. Cho looked at him and shook his head.

"Kouryuu, my old friend. Please, sit down. I truly believe you and your charge can weather this. You just need some assistance, and I am glad to help."

Kouryuu sank down on the nearest cushion and raked one hand through his hair, regardless of table manners. Cho sat down opposite him and unstoppered a flask. "Here, let me pour you some wine. Come, take a few sips. There. Now, I have a list. You drink, and I will read it to you."

He reached into his sleeve, producing a small book and a pair of spectacles. Donning the eyeglasses, he opened the book and consulted it. "First, I daresay the chamberlain wants to move you into one of the palaces in the northern half of the city."

Kouryuu felt the wine beginning to seep into his muscles, rendering them warmer and more relaxed. "Yeah," he said. "But I talked him out of it. Three Southern Places is what I told him. Much better place for Goku."

"Ah ha ha!" Cho's laugh was arch but somehow heartfelt despite that. "You see, Kouryuu, you have the instincts of a courtier despite your years on the sidelines. Excellent. You may recall that the Three Southern Places are adjacent to the Imperial Hospital, and so you will be near me. Now, next on my list, servants. I urge you to appoint me Prince Sai Tian's second chamberlain for the time being. Thus I will be able to help choose trustworthy persons from among those that the imperial chamberlain sends. This duty will cut into my hospital time for some months, but it can't be helped. Next, guards. Please consider retaining Gojyo's Red Falcon troop. They are excellent lads and will otherwise be sent to the frontiers, where their skills could be put to better use than they are currently. However, they will be honored to guard the prince, and I judge their admittedly casual manner will work well for him. Now, it pains me to bring this up, but I believe that the prince's education has been somewhat, er, spotty?"

Kouryuu reddened. Maybe the wine helped. "Yup. Dammit. I don't have the patience, and I had to do everything else for him, too."

"Please, no regrets, my friend. Fortunately the matter is easily taken care of. During my time with the estimable physician Zheng Peng, I earned my keep by educating his children before I became sufficiently trained in the medical arts to assist him directly. It seems I had a talent for it, for he encouraged others to send their sons along as well, and soon I had a class of eight. I shall teach his highness myself in the early days, and in the meantime I will choose suitable tutors to take over once he is solid on the basics."

"When do you plan to sleep?" asked Kouryuu, with a ghost of a grin.

"Ah ha ha, I am glad to see you smile! See, things are not so grim. Have some more wine. And try these shrimp dumplings as well."

The shrimp dumplings were excellent. Kouryuu, who had been feeling a bit ill when he sat down at the table, surprised himself by eating five of them, one after the other. Cho beamed. "This ginger chicken is very pleasant as well," he noted. "Now, about his highness' marriage—"

Kouryu's newly awakened appetite vanished instantly. "What? Marriage?"

Cho raised his eyebrows above his spectacles. "Kouryuu, really, the point of an heir is to ensure the imperial line. Of course the young man will marry, and he will be expected to dally with courtesans as well. Thus will be born the men who will be his own sons' trusted allies."

Kouryuu was unable to articulate the formless dread caused by this entire idea. "He's … he's never been interested in girls."

"That may change when it's actually expected of him and there are young women available to him," said Cho, firmly. "But we shall give him time to become accustomed to the idea. And of course his manners must be improved. You and I will see to that. Now, the matter of horsemanship …"

* * *

Hours later, Kouryuu was lying flat on his pallet in his cubbyhole, watching the room darken and wondering when Goku would return. Cho's servants had cleared the sumptuous midday dinner and replaced it with a cold supper in covered baskets and dishes. Kouryuu's gut was still uneasy but his head felt surprisingly clear: before Cho had left, he dosed Kouryuu with a draught of cool, fizzing medicine that had made him feel much better. But now, watching the darkening landscape outside the main room's one window and noting the passing and re-passing of the Red Falcon soldiers, the burden of the changed situation was beginning to weigh heavily once again.

At last, he heard a commotion drawing near the building. He roused himself, settled his clothing, and wiped his face with a damp cloth. As he reached the door of the apartment, a small procession came into view. Servants paced before with elegant lanterns, followed by four of the emperor's own guards, and then Goku in his court finery. More guards and servants carrying large chests followed behind, along with more lanterns.

There was a moment of tension as the imperial guards encountered the Red Falcons. Finally, Kouryuu stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Hnn! Imperial guard, fall back. The Red Falcons are now the guard of the Prince Sai Tian, by my decree. Red Falcons, escort his highness."

The imperial guards fell back with poor grace. Two of the Falcons marched smartly forward to fall in behind Goku, whose eyes were dull and blank. He walked past Kouryuu as though he weren't there and went to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The left-hand Falcon grimaced sympathetically. "What's in the boxes?" Kouryuu asked them. 

One of the men went back to talk to the servants. "Clothes for tomorrow," he called back. Kouryuu pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered how elaborate these outfits would be. "Bring 'em in, just put the chests down in here. I'll deal with it."

"But we were going to stay and serve the prince!" protested the one who was clearly the most senior.

"No, you aren't," snapped Kouryuu. "He's had a long day and he needs familiar surroundings and people tonight before this move tomorrow."

The Falcons drew themselves up and looked implacable. The servants wilted under the combined disapproval and turned to go.

"Don't turn your back to me, you," growled Kouryuu. They pivoted, their faces now pale with fear. Mandarins had killed servants for less. It didn't make Kouryuu feel any better. _Guess I don't have to worry about power going to my head,_ he thought. "If you really want to serve his highness, see physician Cho Hakkai at the imperial hospital," he said aloud. "He'll be acting as the prince's second chamberlain for now."

The men regained some of their composure and kowtowed, then backed out of the apartments in a more seemly fashion. The Falcons threw Kouryuu snappy salutes and backed out efficiently. One of them stood in the doorway and the other went to see the procession off again. Kouryuu left them to it and went to let himself into the bedroom.

Goku was sitting on the edge of his worn, homely little bed, his voluminous court robes rumpled up incongruously around him. "Come on, Monkey," said Kouryuu, in as normal a tone as he could muster. "Get out of that stuff and into something comfortable. My old schoolmate Cho Hakkai had some supper sent over."

"I'm not hungry," said Goku, his voice as dull as his eyes.

Kouryuu stopped breathing for a second. "Not hungry?"

"No!" said Goku. He erupted off the bed in a swirl of silk brocade and fur edging and threw his arms around Kouryuu's neck. "He said, he said I wouldn't ever be able to eat the same dish twice in a row because of poisoners an' that there'd be courtiers in the bedroom all the time an' that I couldn't run around with Song Lan and Little Hog anymore … ."

His tightly closed eyes were leaking tears. Kouryuu patted his back, awkwardly. Goku hadn't cried in years, and even then, it had only been upon waking from nightmares about losing his mother, whom he barely remembered. Finally the storm seemed to pass. "I guess I am a little hungry," said Goku, his face on Kouryuu's shoulder.

"Well, come on, get this fancy gear off." He helped Goku out of the multiple layers of robes and got him into his own pants and a worn, comfortable old coat. The dishes on the table turned out to contain small pork buns, salted and spiced cucumbers, egg tarts, and noodles with spicy sauce in the northern style. Kouryuu made tea from the pretty tortoiseshell caddy that Cho had left, and it was excellent. Goku was roused by the tasty food and started to relax.

"Where are we gonna live now, Kouryuu?" he asked.

"Three Southern Places. That's where you should have been living all this time anyway."

"Oh. That's not so bad. Song Lan and I used to sneak in to play there before we got too big to fit under the gate. It has all those cute little houses. I was afraid it was gonna be one of those big, gloomy palaces."

"Yeah, so you and I will be in one of the houses, and the servants can live in some of the others."

Goku sighed. "Do I gotta have servants? I just wanna have you, like usual."

"Well, you can't. You're going to need to dress better, for one thing, and I can't keep up with that. And you're going to have to learn a lot of new things, and I can't teach you all of it."

Goku looked horrified. "School again? Kouryuu, I hated that, even when it was your dad. And he was super nice."

"My old friend Doctor Cho is going to teach you. He's nice: he brought all this food. Maybe you even remember him; Koumyou taught him, too, for a little while. He has green eyes."

Goku frowned, trying to remember. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, you were really little when he left."

"When your dad died." Goku looked at him solemnly. He knew how much Kouryuu missed Koumyou.

Kouryu sighed. "Yeah." He drained his teacup. "Let's get to bed. It's going to be another long day tomorrow."

"Should I help put the dishes … ?" 

Kouryuu snorted, "You're a real prince now, Your Highness. You don't clear tables."

"OK." As Goku got up, he noticed the soldier outside the window for the first time. "Hey, who's that?"

"One of your new guards. Cho sent them. Their captain is a friend of his."

"Oh." Goku went to the door. "Hey, do you guys like pork buns?" he called. "There's like five left over."

Kouryuu heard a laugh. "Yes, we do, your highness. But we're on duty now. Save them for breakfast."

"That's a good idea. Thanks!" Goku came back and went to the bedroom. Kouryuu put out the lamps and followed him. 

Goku was stripping down to don an old, comfortable nightshirt. He was starting to get a grown man's shoulders and muscles. Then the nightshirt cut off the view, and Goku climbed into bed. "That man, Cho," he said, abruptly. "He's really all through everything that's been set up, isn't he? I guess you trust him a lot."

Kouryuu was startled by the observation. Apparently Goku's body wasn't the only thing that was growing up. "I think I have to," he said. "The only things he's getting out of this are the obvious ones: a more prominent position, some power. And I'm not going to pretend I can do this on my own. When was the last time you listened to me about things like manners?"

Goku laughed, sounding more like the monkey Kouryuu had known for all these years. But when he turned to go, Goku said "Stay with me, yeah?"

Kouryuu sighed. "Fine. Let me get this gear off."

After he'd changed, he walked through the darkened apartment, knowing every inch of it so well that he had no fear of bumping into anything. _Not after tonight_ , he thought. Goku moved over in the bed to make room for him and then rolled on his side, facing the wall. Kouryuu spooned up behind him and held him. The kid was a solid armful that gave off heat like a stove. "I still can't believe this is real," he whispered.

Kouryuu squeezed him, gently. "Go to sleep, Monkey."

For once, Goku took his advice.

* * *

A few weeks later, it looked like things might be settling into a routine. Most days, Kouryuu and Goku were awakened shortly after dawn. They dressed with the assistance of a valet and walked to the emperor's Hall of Ancestors in the Temple of Earnest Piety so that Goku could pay his respects to his forbears. They returned to the Three Southern Places to eat breakfast, which was brought from the emperor's own kitchen, in the main room of the small house that had become theirs. This was a pleasant space with their dining table, some comfortable seating, a bookshelf, tall standing lamps, and a ceramic stove that would be welcome later in the year. The windows looked out on a garden that was improving day by day on Kouryuu's orders, in response to Cho's suggestions. There was also a bath, two bedrooms, and a small wardrobe room.

After breakfast, they went across to another of the small houses that made up the Three Southern Places. Cho had established this as a schoolhouse, with writing desks for all three of them. Kouryuu worked on his endless lists of what needed doing and should be done in establishing and maintaining the affairs of the crown prince, and Cho instructed Goku in the basics of literature, mathematics, and history. Luncheon was in another one of the small houses, where a formal dining room had been set up, and Cho and Kouryuu taught Goku table manners and etiquette, This generally did not go as smoothly as morning lessons, for Goku was hungry and soon tired of having them critique his every move.

Kouryuu and Goku would return to their own house for a rest after that. Then there were more lessons—politics and protocol from Cho, or philosophy and religion from Kouryuu—until mid-afternoon. Then Goku had some free time, but aside from climbing trees in the garden and joking with the Red Falcon guards, he had few real pastimes. As the emperor had decreed, his rough-and-ready former friends were kept away, and except when he was taken down to the imperial stables every few days for a riding lesson, he was not permitted to leave the Three Southern Places.

Every third day, the emperor held court in the morning. On those days, they were awakened before dawn, and after their baths, a more-senior valet would come to help them dress. Then a squad of the Red Falcons, splendid in their dress uniforms, would escort them to Palace of Heavenly Purity. Goku would assume his seat at the emperor's right hand, and Kouryuu would sit with the other prominent courtiers. Occasionally Cho would be included in their retinue so that he could quiz Goku afterward about the matters that had been discussed. Goku would have to sit quietly and attentively for hours, listening to all sorts of issues: trade with other nations, proposed alliances, serious crimes and their often gruesome punishments.

It was after one of these formal occasions that disaster struck. Kouryuu had been ordered to meet with the emperor's chamberlain about adding some more dignity to their household in the form of several young noblemen who would be Goku's gentlemen-valets. Kouryuu thought it was far too early to be doing any such thing, so the discussion dragged on for some time. 

Meanwhile, as Cho explained later, Cho and the guards had escorted Goku back to the Three Southern Places. After the prince had changed out of his court finery, he had eaten luncheon to the accompaniment of Cho's lecture on the ambassadors who had presented their credentials. Goku had been restive the entire time, missing Kouryuu, who might have suggested that table talk be less tedious, and when Cho insisted that the sweets be delayed until Goku repeated the emperor's formal greeting to the visitors, the prince had erupted with temper. He threw the entire massive table on its side, so that the precious dishes smashed and spilled the remains of the main course and its accompaniments onto the tiled floor, and ran out of the house and across the courtyard.

The Red Falcon guards had no orders to keep Goku within the Three Southern Places. It had not previously been an issue: Goku was not a prisoner, after all. So when he erupted out of the south gate of the complex and continued on, out of sight, the two men on duty were bewildered for a moment. Then one of them, Rihaku, followed him, and the other, Souko, stayed behind to meet the dismayed Cho. Captain Sha was summoned, along with two more guards, and Souko led them to where he'd seen Goku disappear.

Rihaku was standing outside the Hall of Literary Brilliance, looking agonized. Goku had expressed his displeasure with his curriculum by running through the main library, smashing things with a broomstick he'd acquired along the way. When a couple of hastily summoned imperial guards had attempted to corner him, he'd leapt out a window, landed safely, and then scaled the building itself. He was now sitting on the roof.

One of the imperial guards suggested that archers be summoned to dispatch the vandal. Sha reminded the man, in coarse and pointed terms, that the miscreant in question was the crown prince. Cho shouted logical arguments at his prince, but these had no effect. Or rather, not the desired effect: Goku rose to his feet, danced nimbly along the roof's ridge, and made rude gestures at his tutor. Sha wrapped an arm around Cho's shoulders and whispered urgently in his ear.

It was at this point that Kouryuu, who had been summoned by a semi-hysterical messenger from the imperial guard, arrived on the scene. Sha and Cho were sharing a meaningful look: Sha bleak, Cho startled. Then Cho took a deep breath, straightened, and cupped his hands around his mouth to increase the effect of his voice: "Prince! If you will not think of yourself, think of your guardian, Lord Sanzo! What do you imagine the emperor will do to him if Lord Sanzo fails in his task to make you a suitable heir to the Dragon Throne?"

Goku stopped capering and stared down at Cho, his mouth dropping open. Perhaps he was thinking of some of the hideous punishments that his father had decreed for traitorous crimes. Then he lost his balance and started to roll down the roof. Sha and the Red Falcons ran to stand below the spot where he would fall off the eaves. Goku caught himself at the last minute and hung there for moment. Kouryuu's heart seemed to stop: it was not clear whether the tiles at the edge would support Goku's sturdy weight. Then Captain Sha shouted: "Let go, kid! We'll catch you!"

Goku let go—and nearly smashed his would-be rescuers. But at last it was all sorted out, and the distressed and disheartened troop made their way slowly back to the Three Southern Places.

Cho examined Goku, Sha, and the Red Falcons. One of the guards had a broken arm, and Goku had a sprained ankle. Otherwise, the tally was merely a large number of bruises. Goku was sent to bed, his ankle anointed with salve and tightly wrapped. His guardian, his tutor, and his guard captain then sat down in the schoolhouse for a very serious talk.

Most of the serious talk was from Cho, who discoursed at length about what had happened. Kouryuu's head was aching by the time Goku's teacher had finished. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips to his forehead between his eyebrows.

"You're going to make wrinkles, Lord Sanzo," commented Sha.

Kouryuu opened his his eyes and glared.

Sha was unmoved. "Look, I know I ain't a scholar like the two of you, but I ain't surprised that the kid lost it today."

"That 'kid' is the crown prince," said Cho, coldly. "And you're not helping matters, Captain."

"Heh, I know. But I think I _could_ help. If the two of you would let me."

"Oh?" said Cho. "What did you have in mind?"

"Look, you've got this kid—sorry, this _young man_ —who used to run wild all day, gettin' lots of exercise, workin' up a sweat. Now you got him cooped up in the classroom and the throne room. He's goin' all pale like a potted plant away from th' sun, and twitchy like a wild bird in a cage."

"You can't be suggesting that we let him run around like he used to," said Kouryuu, exasperated. "Even you aren't that stupid."

"No, I ain't stupid, just low-born," said Sha. "But listen, he's always good down at the stables, right? That's 'cause it's somethin' that lets him work his muscles. It's like a tonic for a young buck like him. The emperors of the past were fighters: why shouldn't he have some training in that? It'd be good for him in so many ways, I couldn't even count 'em. I'd train him myself, and he could work out with my soldiers. They're good lads; you've seen how well-behaved they are inside the Forbidden City."

"That's really … not a bad idea," said Cho. "Kouryuu? What do you think? You and I used to practice martial arts with your foster father, after all."

"Hnn. Guess we could give it a try," said Kouryuu. "Koumyou used to say that a trained body helped create a strong mind. I haven't thought about that in years."

Cho smiled gently, his eyes sympathetic. Sha got to his feet and stretched. "Time to make my rounds. Let me know when the kid's ankle is well enough, and we'll get down to it. In the meantime, I'll find a good, private spot to practice and see about some training gear."

"Thank you, Gojyo," said Cho, his voice warm. Sha looked at him sidelong, slightly flushed under his ungentlemanly tan.

"Yeah, thanks," said Kouryuu. "Guess I'd better check on his highness."

Goku was propped up in bed with a book, which he dropped the instant Kouryuu appeared in his doorway, trailed by a servant with a tray full of covered dishes. "Kouryuu, 'm so sorry! I just, just … ."

"Just don't do it again," said Kouryuu, gruffly, retrieving the book before anything could happen to it. "Look, here's supper. Cho told me you didn't get to finish lunch."

Goku's eyes lighted up and he dove into his food with enthusiasm. "Wish I could ask to have plum spare ribs again," he said, after a while.

"We told you why not. You're the emperor's heir. If people know what you like to eat, it's easier to poison you. The plum ribs'll show up again sometime."

Goku was fiddling with his chopsticks; his dishes were all empty. "I can't believe I ever thought it would be great to be a prince."

"I can see why you'd feel that way. But Captain Sha had a good idea … don't look so shocked."

Goku closed his mouth. "It's not a shock that he had an idea. He's actually pretty smart. But hearing you _say_ it … ."

Kouryuu rolled his eyes. "Don't be a smartass, your highness. Do you want to hear his plan, or not?"

Goku flopped back on his pillows and looked martyred. "Lord Sanzo, please continue, if you would," he said, his voice as bland as any courtier's.

"As you will, your highness. Captain Sha proposes that he teach you martial arts and weapons skills, and that you practice with his soldiers."

Goku sat up in a flash. Kouryuuu barely managed to catch the rice bowl that was sent flying by his prince's sudden move. "When? _When?_ "

"Don't shriek, Monkey. You start as soon as the doctor says your ankle is fit. So you need to listen to him and do, or not do, everything he says to help it get better."

"I will! I promise!"

"That starts with getting some sleep. You're finished eating, right? I'll get 'em to take the dishes away."

The servants came and tidied up the remains of their supper, and then Kouryuu helped him into his nightclothes. "Here's your book," he said, once Goku was back in bed. "Huh, _Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang_. I haven't read that for years."

"Some of it's good. Some of it's just kind of weird." Goku opened it and then closed it again. "You haven't read to me in, like, forever." 

"You're eighteen years old, Monkey."

"Yeah, but … I miss it."

Kouryuu sighed. "Fine, let me get changed first. And just one chapter."

It was weirdly soothing, reading to Goku again. The chair in which Kouryuu sat was much more comfortable than the wooden stool he used to use, but the circle of light cast by the porcelain lamp was small enough that he could ignore the rest of the luxurious surroundings. Goku had rolled over on his belly, the quilt pulled up almost to his ears, and in the mellow lamplight, with his eyes closed, he looked almost twelve again. 

"'On the other hand,'" Kouryuu continued, coming to the end of the chapter, "'The King took Ye Xian away to his kingdom, where she lived happily with him for many years. When the two of them finally died, eight sons and eight grandsons mourned their passing.' There, that's the end. Go to sleep now."

Goku opened his eyes and raised his head. "Stay with me."

_Honestly, he's such a child tonight,_ thought Kouryuu. But the kid had had a rough day, and his ankle probably hurt. "Let me put this away," said Kouryuu, at last, and went out into the main room. There was no sign of any of the servants. From the front window, he could see the sentry at the door. He put the book into the bookcase and closed its doors, then returned to Goku's room and put out the lamp.

He heard the rustle of the quilt in the darkness as Goku moved over to make room for him. Kouryuu wrapped his arms around the boy. _Not a boy,_ he thought, feeling the wide shoulders.

Goku chuckled, softly. "I know something I bet you don't know," he said, his voice low and husky.

"What, Monkey?"

"The doctor and the captain. They're lovers."

Kouryuu let go of Goku and rolled away. "You should know better than to listen to court gossip."

"It wasn't the courtiers, the hawk soldiers all know. They don't care, except that it makes him happy."

Kouryuu felt hot. He pushed the quilt off. "Well, don't get any ideas. You need to marry, father heirs."

"I had that idea already, Kouryuu."

"Monkey—"

Goku rolled over, grabbed his shoulders, and kissed him.

Kouryuu's lips tightened with shock and outrage. Goku's tongue stroked along the seam of his mouth, and he flung one leg over Kouryuu. Kouryuu tensed, every muscle ready to fight.

But this was _Goku_. His scent was familiar, and yet it was not: it was richer, deeper, and it went to Kouryuu's brain and groin like a touch of the sun. He opened his lips and let Goku in.

They tangled together like monkey peach vines in an orchard run wild. Kouryuu was hard against Goku's thigh; Goku's erection prodded against his own hip. "Touch me," Goku begged. "Please, I want it." 

Their night clothes were loose and comfortable, but now, here, they were too confining. Kouryuu finally managed to work his hand up under Goku's nightshirt. He touched hot flesh, smoothly running over a hard shaft, and closed his hand around it. Goku bucked in his grasp and cried out: "Kouryuu—"

"Hush, Monkey." His own phallus was still hard as stone. His hand was wet with Goku's spending, and he wriggled it out from under the twisted nightshirt. He could smell the come. He scrabbled at his own nightclothes with his other hand, breathing hard.

"What're you tryin' to do?" whispered Goku.

"Want to touch myself, dammit. Nightshirt's stuck."

"Here." Goku half-lifted him, freeing the fabric. Gods in heaven, when had the kid become so strong? But now Kouryuu could wrap his hand around his own rod, rubbing Goku's seed into his skin. Goku was snuggled up to him, face against his neck, lips and tongue and teeth sucking and biting.

Kouryuu gasped and came, white sparks flying like snow behind his closed eyelids.

They lay against one another, weary and sticky and sated. Finally, Goku stirred and laughed softly. "What's Qin Cheng gonna say about our nightshirts when he picks up the wash?"

"Shit," said Kouryuu, unguarded for the moment. "That could start the wrong kind of questions."

"Can you hide yours for a day or two?"

"Yeah, I guess. Damn. We shouldn't— "

"Don't," whispered Goku. "Come on, I'm not made of stone. You're so pretty."

Kouryuu buried his face in the crook of his arm. "Don't say that," he mumbled. "That's what those thugs who used to try to back me into corners in store rooms used to say."

Goku stilled. "When?"

"You were too little to tell. Right after Koumyou died,"

Goku squeezed his shoulder. "That sucks. Did I remind you of that?"

Kouryuu was silent for a moment. "Well … just a little. That's why I wouldn't let you … but it was _you._ So that was OK."

"I'm glad," said Goku, his voice low.

They dozed for a moment, and then Kouryuu stirred. "I'm going back to my own room, change out of this mess."

There was no response from Goku. _Out cold,_ thought Kouryuu. He rolled out of bed and tucked the quilt around his charge before staggering off.

Alone in his own room, he stripped and sponged himself off. Then he wrapped his soiled nightshirt in a winter quilt and tucked it back into its chest, Shivering, he put on a clean nightshirt and climbed into his cold bed.

He could still smell Goku on his skin.

* * *

"You've had me ask Gojyo at least a dozen times, Kouryuu," said Doctor Cho. "If you really want to see how Goku's training is going, you should just come and take a look for yourself."

It was very early on a summer morning, and Goku and his bodyguards of the moment had already run off to the yard beyond the Hall of Military Glory that was now his training ground. Cho and Kouryuu had been lingering over a final pot of tea at the breakfast table now that their charge had passed to someone else's supervision. Kouryuu swallowed the last of his cup. "Wouldn't I be a distraction?"

"He needs to learn to work with distractions as well," said Cho cheerfully. "Why don't we take a stroll up there now? Unless, of course, your presence is demanded elsewhere."

"No, I'm actually free for once," answered Kouryuu. "Lead on."

When they arrived at the practice yard, the Red Falcon guard stepped aside to let them in. Two men were fighting with heavy wooden practice swords, shaped like double-edged jians, under Captain Sha's critical eye. Three of the Red Falcons stood by, armored but with their helmets doffed, watching with interest. It took a moment for Kouryuu realize that one of the combatants was Goku.

His opponent was of a similar height, but seemingly slighter in build, although details were hard to make out under the layers of armor and padding. After a few minutes, it came to Kouryuu that the sparring partners were both moving very quickly. They struck and parried and maneuvered at a speed that Kouryuu could not imagine matching while carrying that amount of gear. Goku started to press the other back toward the wall opposite the gate, but before he was trapped, the opponent sidestepped gracefully away, forcing Goku to re-orient. The other fighter struck at Goku and landed a solid blow on his upper arm. Kouryuu winced.

"Hold!" called Sha.

Both fighters froze and then stood down, relaxing and lowering their weapons.

"Come over here, you two. Goku, we need to work on your footwork. Nataku, you may as well do the drill, too. Souko, you face him. Look, Souko and I will press the attack. We'll move like this—" Sha demonstrated the steps. "Then you two will retreat like this. Keep track of your space; reverse when you know you're near the wall, and then use the attack steps I just showed to come back this way.“

They imitated him, both pairs moving at half speed. "OK," said Sha, "Let's do this." He put on his own helmet, and so did Souko.

Now all four moved in earnest, cut and parry, cut and parry, step, step step, across the yard, fast and purposeful. This time, Goku seemed to realize where he was when he was approaching the wall, even though he was backing up, and pressed the attack to force Sha backward. Nataku was only a second or two behind in pressing against Souko.

Without taking his eyes off the exercise, Kouryuu murmured to Cho, “Is that Li Touten’s kid?”

“Er, yes. Gojyo mentioned that he had heard the young man showed promise in the martial arts. We were having trouble finding suitable opponents. As you can see, Goku is very quick and strong, and he is learning with striking rapidity.”

Both of the younger men had pressed their teachers within striking distance of the gate. Kouryuu and Cho moved aside. Sha and Souko reversed and pressed their pupils back to the center of the courtyard. “Hold!” shouted Sha, again. “Better. Now, I want you both to try some longer weapons. C’mon, helmets off for now.”

Goku and Nataku took off the helmets, and Sha handed them each one of the practice weapons that had been leaning against the wall of the yard. “Lord Nataku, spear. Prince Sai Tian, halberd."

Nataku was pale and fine-boned, very different from Goku's sturdy, tanned look. But he moved with an almost inspiring grace and assurance. As Goku swung his wooden halberd, grinning, Nataku gave him a soft, sweet smile, transforming his thin face into a more attractive one. 

"The two of them get along well, as you can see," said Cho. "I know his father can be most unpleasant, but he is a powerful man. This could be a useful friendship."

Kouryuu struggled to keep his face neutral. "I'd say 'unpleasant' understates the case. He's dangerous."

"Well, I won't argue. He's actually said some very rude things about my friendship with Gojyo, and in fact, threatened me with arrest."

Kouryuu hissed softly. "You'll have to tell me more sometime." He turned his attention back to the training session. Sha was drilling both of the youths in using the shafts of the long arms as a defense. It reminded Kouryuu of short-staff techniques from his own martial arts days. Goku plainly enjoyed this a great deal, and Nataku had a slight flush that suited him. "I … kind of wish I was practicing with them. Don't know about the armor, though."

Cho beamed. "I've become rusty myself. We could also practice, unarmed. I'll arrange suitable clothing. Gojyo's man Rihaku is quite adept at unarmed skills; he can oversee our training."

They continued watching as Sha put his pupils through basic drills with their new weapons. As the sun climbed higher, he dismissed them to cool down and came over. He was gleaming with sweat, but grinning widely. "I think that halberd suits the kid—'scuse me, his highness—better than a sword. I'll talk with the imperial armorer; maybe we'll have one custom made for him."

Kouryuu grunted in response, then spoke softly: "D'you think it's wise to have Li Touten's boy working with him, with weapons?" 

Sha grimaced. "See how I'm sweatin'? I can already barely keep up with the prince now. He's a fighter in ten thousand, Lord Sanzo. I'm proud to be training him. But the two of 'em are a match, and in more ways than one. They're crazy about each other. They're gettin' to be the kind of friends where I wouldn't split 'em between units. About his father, I'm not sayin' anything. I don't wanna end up in prison or even on a spike."

"It's good for the prince to have a friend of similar standing, and they're actually distant cousins, of course," said Cho, his voice so adamantly pleasant that Sha rolled his eyes and Kouryuu grimaced. "Lord Sanzo, you have a fan," the doctor continued. "It's useful for hiding one's face, when needed."

"That fan business doesn't suit me any better than it suits Goku," grumbled Kouryuu. Then the novice warriors came trotting over, and Cho suavely switched the topic.

After luncheon, when a freshly-scrubbed Goku was tearing through his second bowl of sweet tofu in apricot syrup, an imperial page appeared at the doorway of their little house. As the lowest-ranking person at the table, Cho excused himself and went to speak to the boy. He came back with a folded letter, wrapped in scarlet thread and bearing the emperor's personal seal. "Your highness," said Cho, presenting it to Goku with a bow.

Goku set his bowl down slowly, his eyes wide. "Your hands," said Kouryuu.

The prince grabbed his napkin and rubbed his fingers thoroughly. Then he took the letter from his teacher, opened it carefully, and read it silently. "It's … a dinner invitation."

"When?" asked Kouryuu.

"T'morrow night. You're invited too."

"Aha. A good chance to show his excellency your father what you've learned," said Cho.

Goku looked stricken. "I know I have t' go. Do I tell the page …?"

Cho looked at him and raised his eyebrows. Goku sighed. "No. I have t' write a letter back."

"Better," said Kouryuu. "If you're finished, do it now. The page is expecting to wait for your reply."

Goku got up and went to the little writing desk under the back window. Cho followed him and stood behind his shoulder as he sat, to assist him in selecting appropriate paper and wording. Kouryuu went to the door, nodded at the page, and called for the kitchen servants to clear the remains of the meal. Once the letter was completed to Cho's satisfaction, Goku wrapped it and stamped it with his own seal, which he had only previously used for classroom exercises. Cho took it from him and dispatched it with the page.

Now that they had the room to themselves again. Goku hung his head and scowled. "I'll have to get all dressed up."

"Yes, indeed," said Cho, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "In fact, I imagine that you will get a visit from one of the under-chamberlains and a senior valet this afternoon about a fitting for new garments. You too, Kouryuu."

"Oh shit," said Kouryuu, unguardedly. Goku giggled, and Kouryuu whipped his fan from his sash and was about to rap him on the head when he caught himself.

"Now, now, Lord Sanzo," said Cho, with a smirk. "No assault upon the crown prince. Goku, you'd better take a rest. Whatever time can be spared this afternoon from your wardrobe will be used in a review of protocol and suitable dinner-table talk." 

Goku groaned and slouched off to his room.

The next evening, a splendid little procession left the Three Southern Places. Two of the Red Falcon guards led the way, in their most formal garments and polished gear. Then came Kouryuu, in a deep blue robe embroidered with summer flowers and the summer hat of a second-ranking imperial official. Goku followed in a green robe embroidered with gold dragons and a matching hat. He was trailed by Cho in his best black scholarly robes and the headgear of a fourth-ranking official, carrying Goku's fan and a purse with other necessities he might need. Four more Red Falcons brought up the rear. At the entrance to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the guards peeled off the flank the doors. Kouryuu, Goku, and Cho entered, and then Cho was shown to a little anteroom to cool his heels and partake of light refreshments with other noble attendants, while the prince and his guardian continued into the main hall for the ceremony of being greeted by his excellency and shown to their seats.

Goku, of course, sat by the emperor. Kouryuu was most of the way down one of the side of the table, but since there were only twenty other guests, he was still being accorded a great honor by being at the emperor's table at all. One of his neighbors was chief scholar of the imperial library, who seemed to be over his understandable resentment of the prince's escapade earlier in the year, and the other was the senior ambassador from Malacca, who spoke only a little Chinese. The meal proceeded in a stately fashion, with a parade of dishes ranging from a tasty braised hen to shark's fin soup and steamed fish chilled and served with pickles, with entertainments for the company between courses. Kouryuu was hard-pressed not to watch Goku the entire time, but the glances he did take showed him a most well-behaved young prince who listened attentively to the poet who read a piece on the ephemeral nature of summer and watched the mock combat between a bear and its trainer with quiet interest. 

After an hour had passed, a course of spare ribs with plum sauce was served. Kouryuu smiled to himself, pleased that Goku would be rewarded with his favorite dish. The chief scholar was just starting on what promised to be a long tale about a visit from a priest of Istanbul when a sudden hush fell over the head of the table. Kouryuu turned to look and was dismayed to see that Goku was half out of his seat, apparently entreating the servant with the platter of ribs to return and give him some more.

In the silence, Duke Li Touten's sharp-edged chuckle seemed very loud, although he was hiding it behind his hand. Goku caught Kouryuu's stricken gaze and subsided, blushing. The emperor spoke into the silence that followed. "We see our cousin Li Touten. Did you have something to say?"

"Ah, Your Excellency, forgive me. Young men and their healthy appetites!"

"We hear that the crown prince our son has been uncommonly busy at both his desk and in the courtyard of martial valor. It is not surprising that he has a corresponding appetite, is it, Cousin?"

"No indeed, Your Excellency. We have good report of the crown prince from our own son Nataku, who has been training with him." Li Touten was fairly purring with smug satisfaction. Perhaps he was merely pleased to be able to report that his son was a companion of the imperial heir. Beside him, Nataku was starting at his plate, his face wooden. "And if it pleases Your Excellency," the duke continued, "We have a gift for the crown prince."

The emperor gazed at him for a moment, his face perfectly smooth and unreadable. Finally, he said: "We will finish the meal first. Then we would be pleased for you to make this presentation to our son."

"Of course, Your Excellency," said the duke. If anything, his air of smugness had only increased. Kouryuu's stomach was uneasy, and it was quite an effort to continue to listen to the chief scholar and eat at least a token bite of each of the remaining dishes. When at last the table was cleared of everything but pots of fragrant tea and trays of artfully cut and arranged summer fruits, the Emperor nodded to his cousin the Duke. "Our cousin the Duke of Defense may now offer his kind gift to the crown prince."

Two servants bearing the duke's badge entered, rolling a long carpet before them from the door almost to Goku's seat. Then two eunuchs of the Women's Halls came into the room, side by side, and separated, revealing behind them a young woman.

She paced toward the table with silent dignity, her gaze downcast. She was dressed in simple robes of pale violet, deep rose, and soft yellow silk, with an open coat of spring green over all. Its color seemed to have been chosen to echo Goku's new robe. When she was two paces from the crown prince, she dropped gracefully to her knees and kowtowed. She was not especially beautiful, except for her large, brilliant eyes. For one thing, she was too thin.

"This is Yaone," purred the duke. "Although she has not yet known the touch of a man, she is a scholar of the health of women, and can instruct your son in ways few other concubines could match."

Goku quickly shut his mouth, which was hanging open. He started to look at Kouryuu but stopped himself and instead looked at his father. The emperor was looking impassively at the girl and his cousin the duke. Kouryuu heard a pained gasp from across the table and realized that Count Kougaji, a vassal of Li Touten's, was seated there. The count's dark southern skin was sickly color, and he was staring at the duke with horror in his eyes.

"Well, my son," said the emperor, turning his impassive gaze to Goku, "when I have dismissed the company, you may spend the night in the Palace of Eternal Spring with your first concubine. " He raised his eyebrows very slightly.

Goku bit his lip for a second, then turned to the duke, his face unaccustomedly solemn. "Thank you very much, Duke Li Touten. She has pretty eyes."

The duke nodded, his whole posture exuding power and satisfaction. "Enjoy yourself, your highness. You may remove yourself, girl."

The young woman rose gracefully and backed out of the imperial presence, her eyes on her feet. Her attendants whisked her away from the doors. The emperor addressed his guests: "Well, my friends and kinsmen, all good things must end. Let us depart." He withdrew from the table and left the hall. Goku met Kouryuu's eyes briefly and then followed his father out.

Kouryuu could not wait to leave, but he had to stay until the more important guests removed themselves. At last he was free to meet Cho in the anteroom, which was buzzing with breathless gossip about the duke and his gift. Kouryuu saw Count Kougaiji retrieving his tall bodyguard, who looked every bit as disturbed as his lord. "Is this safe? Goku and this girl?" Kouryuu asked Cho, under cover of the loud chatter.

"Safe enough. Let us talk more privately," answered Cho, lines of unease disturbing his usually pleasant mien. They left the palace and met the prince's guard outside. They seemed to have heard the news as well, and Kouryuu was puzzled that they looked as uneasy as he and Cho. He would have expected them to be full of ribald cheer at the news of their lord's good fortune.

On the way out of the courtyard, they passed Li Touten, Nataku, and their attendants. The duke chuckled at them, indulgently. "So, my lord Sanzo, the young prince becomes a man," he said, courtesy barely masking malice in his voice . "Take heart. His guard company is full of strapping young fellows."

"Good evening, Your Grace," said Kouryuu, not trusting himself to say anything more. He felt the duke's eyes on his back as they left.

The little procession wound its way back to the Three Southern Places. Kouryuu doffed his ridiculous hat as soon as he entered the house but waved away the valet who wanted to divest him of the rest of his formal outfit. "It can wait," he said. "I'll send for you."

He shut the door behind the fellow and peered out of the windows, noting with relief that the regular guards were in their usual positions. Cho had already seated himself in one of the reading chairs. Kouryuu sank into the other.

"Now," said Cho, "As to the prince, I think the duke was merely seizing an opportunity to ingratiate himself, and of course, to discomfit you. I'm afraid that there are already some suspicions as to the nature of your relationship with your young charge."

"As there were with Koumyou and me," growled Kouryuu.

"Are they right to think of such things in this case?" asked Cho. Kouryuu was startled by the bluntness of the question, and his face must have shown it. Cho nodded, unsurprised.

"Fortunately," he continued, "I have briefed the prince as to his behavior in such eventualities—"

"You _what?_ " Kouryuu was on his feet. "When? What did you tell him, you pervert?"

"Kouryuu, sit down," said Cho, firmly. "It's only to be expected that a young man of his position would be offered the company of suitable women. I knew that this was not a subject on which you cared to dwell, so I made sure that the prince would know the basics of proper behavior in such instances."

"You mean, he's going to—"

"I expect that the young woman will no longer be a virgin after tonight," said Cho, calmly. "Kouryuu, this is really for the best. Eventually he will have to marry."

"Gods in heaven, Cho, that wasn't your decision to make! And you're a fine one to talk. You and Sha are each other's bedmates, aren't you?"

Cho smiled gently. "I'm an eccentric physician, not a crown prince or his guardian. And if you had listened to the Red Falcons quacking to each other when they think Gojyo can't hear, you would know that he also spends time with a couple of famous courtesans in town. He's merely considered a man of large and varied appetites, and in any case, his low birth and unpolished ways would prevent him from any role but that of a soldier."

"In that case, how in a Tibetan hell did you know what to tell Goku?"

Cho shrugged. "I've had my experiences. Now compose yourself. You look as green as Count Kougaiji did when he saw his ladyfriend brought out."

Kouryuu stared. "So she's—wait a second! How do you know all this? And Li Touten said she was a virgin!"

"Oh Kouryuu," sighed Cho. "People tell physicians all sorts of things that they would never tell the prince's religiously trained guardian. Miss Yaone really is a skilled doctor in her own right. I had a troubling case with one of the emperor's concubines, and the lady's attendant noted that a maiden of such talents had recently arrived in the women's halls. Because Yaone has no great status at court, I was able to arrange a meeting. Count Kougaiji seems to regard her merely as a dear friend, and he had hoped that she would be able to help his mother, who as you know is paralyzed and being cared for here in court. But of course, for Li Touten, this charity toward the poor lady is just another chain with which to bind Kougaiji, on whom he depends for defense of the southern frontier."

"Oh. Then why is the duke enraging the count by pandering off his friend to the crown prince?"

"At a guess, to sow dislike between the prince and the count. Nataku is not a talkative young man, but I daresay he has made his affection for the prince known. Kougaiji's hulking guardsman approached Gojyo the other day and requested that the count be allowed to watch one of the prince's training sessions. It probably got back to the duke, who decided that he didn't need another partisan of our young man in his household."

"But it was the duke's idea to give her to Goku, not anything Goku instigated."

Cho shrugged. "I don't think Li Touten expects anything but fear-stoked loyalty from his vassals. This action will just reinforce that. And with his mother's life in the hands of the duke's fearsome wife, the lady Gyokumen, Prince Kougaiji knows better than to take any action against his liege. Now, Kouryuu, I would suggest that you get to bed. I can provide a sleeping dose for you, if necessary."

"No thanks," said Kouryuu. He was still partially convinced that something more sinister was going on, and he didn't want to be in a drugged sleep if Goku needed him.

"As you will," said Cho. "Goodnight, Kouryuu. Get some rest, at least."

As both of them expected, Kouryuu did not find sleep anytime soon. He finally dropped into a troubled sleep only a few hours before dawn.

Goku was back in the house when Kouryuu woke up at the usual hour. He seemed unscathed but also simply bemused rather than filled with any sort of masculine pride about his night's adventure. They dressed as usual and went to offer their respects to the imperial ancestors, and then came back for breakfast. Goku ate heartily while Kouryuu merely picked at his breakfast bun and congee. Finally, Cho appeared, took a good look at both of them, and declared a half-holiday. 

"I'll see you both for luncheon," he said, cheerfully, and left. The servants cleared away breakfast and left them with a big pot of tea and a basket of sweet buns.

Kouryuu looked down at his cup. Now that they were alone, he couldn't bear to look Goku in the face. The silence stretched for several minutes.

Finally, Goku slammed down his own cup. "Kouryuu, I didn't fuck her."

As he'd clearly intended, this made Kouryuu stare at him. "Language, your highness!"

The prince grinned at him, as though he were still the same innocent Goku. "OK, we didn't play at 'clouds and rain.' Is that better?"

Kouryuu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but not much. Goku, if she's still a virgin …."

"She's real smart, Kouryuu. And brave. She did something to herself about that. She said she should have done it a long time ago so no one could have such stupid ideas about what they could do to her. It must have hurt; she was bleeding. You know, from her woman parts."

Kouryuu felt ill. "Gods, Goku."

"Look, Doctor Cho showed me all that stuff in a medical book, months ago. Yaone just … helped me understand what things really look like, an' how they work. And she explained to me how a lot of things are really the same for men and women, if you think about it the right way. She taught me some stuff I wanna show you."

He was giving Kouryuu a roguish look now. "She figured out about us, just from talkin' to me about clouds-and-rain things."

"Probably from gossip, too, Monkey." Kouryuu met his prince's gaze squarely for the first time that morning. "We need to be careful."

"Yup, I know. Yaone says I can come visit her again, lots of times. No one is gonna be surprised if she doesn't have a baby, because she's so good at women's stuff."

"It's not just that, Monkey. The duke had a reason for giving her to you,"

"I know that too." Goku was serious now. "I'm s'posed to think he's wonderful, because he gave me a girl. And Count Kougaiji is not gonna want to be my ally, because he thinks I used his friend. Yaone isn't sure the count is good enough at acting for him to know it's not like that. It's making her sad. I hate that."

Kouryuu felt a weight tumble off his shoulders. Goku was still the same good-hearted kid he'd always known, even if he was getting smarter about politics. "You'll just have to make sure you _are_ a good enough actor, then, so things aren't worse for her. Or us."

"I will," said Goku firmly. He smiled. "I got an idea. Why don't you go take a nap?"

_I must look terrible, if he's worrying about me,_ thought Kouryuu. Or maybe not. His concern for Yaone's feelings was pretty much the same sort of thing. "Maybe I should."

Goku nodded and went to the door. "Yo, Rihaku?" he called. "Lord Sanzo's gonna take a nap, so don't disturb us for a while, 'K?" 

Kouryuu was momentarily speechless at this solicitude, but then he shrugged and went to his room. Goku followed him in. "Let me help you get this stuff off," he suggested.

"What?" Kouryuu turned around and gave Goku a hard look. The prince giggled.

"Guess that wasn't such good acting, huh? But I'm gonna help you anyway."

Kouryuu started on the clasps of his own tunic, trying to maintain a stern expression, but it was impossible. "Yeah, I don't think you're ready for a romantic role on stage, Prince." He handed Goku the tunic and started on the drawstring of his trousers. When Goku looked around after draping the tunic over the dressing stand, he pouted.

"I wanted to do that," he complained. Kouryuu snorted.

"Is this what Miss Yaone told you to do? I'm not a gentle maiden."

"Yeah, but you're not a tough soldier either. I know I make lots of trouble for you, so I wanna do something nice."

Kouryuu handed him the trousers and started on the ties of his thin silk undershirt. "Aw, come on," pleaded Goku.

Reluctantly, Kouryuu dropped his hands. "OK, do it."

Goku grinned, like he'd just been presented with a basket of bean jam buns. He carefully worked open the ties and eased the the garment off Kouryuu's shoulders. Then he kissed Kouryuu on the mouth, gently and tenderly, and then again on the jaw. His hands stroked over Kouryuu's chest, and suddenly Kouryuu wasn't nearly as tired as he had been.

"Lie down," Goku whispered in his ear. Kouryuu sank down onto the edge of the bed, his legs shaking, and Goku picked him up bodily and eased him flat. It plainly cost him no effort to do so, and Kouryuu's heartbeat sped up. Goku kissed the hollow of his throat, then mouthed and licked his way down Kouryuu's breastbone.

Kouryuu's breath came out all at once, a shaky gasp. "You OK?" asked Goku, his lips warm on Kouryuu's abdomen.

"Tickles," whispered Kouryuu. Warmth was flooding down his body from his throat to his groin.

"Should I stop?"

"Hnn, no."

Goku laughed softly against his belly and continued. When he encountered the string of Kouryuu's drawers, he undid it with his teeth. Kouryuu's erection sprang out, embarrassingly hard. Goku eased off the last silky barrier between his mouth and Kouryuu's flesh, and then he took Kouryuu's rod in his hot, wet mouth.

Kouryuu jammed the edge of his hand into his mouth to keep from crying out. He was conscious of the Red Flacon guardsmen outside the house, and suddenly he realized why Goku had insisted that the two of them be left undisturbed. He had no time to be self-conscious, however, because Goku was bobbing his head slowly up and down along Kouryuu's shaft.

"G-goku, stop, I'm going to … !"

Goku made an encouraging noise and moved his head faster. Kouryuu reached down with his other hand and knotted his fingers in the Prince's hair. Goku's warm fingers stroked over his balls, and Kouryuu came harder than he'd thought possible.

When he came back to himself, Goku was kneeling by the edge of the bed, licking his lips and looking slightly put out. "It tastes kinda funny. She said some people think it tastes like oysters, but I dunno about that."

Kouryuu was both horrified and amused. A little laugh escaped him before he could stop himself. "I don't know if I could do that," he said.

That seemed only fair. He sat up and reached for his prince, but Goku pushed him gently back on the bed. "Maybe tonight, OK? You should take a nap, for real."

This tenderness made Kouryuu feel damp around the eyes. But as Goku handed him a clean nightshirt, a thought struck him. "That girl. She did that to you."

Goku ruffled his own hair and flushed a little. "Yeah, she did. But I was thinking about you the whole time."

Kouryuu waited for the twinge of jealousy that plagued him sometimes when he thought of Goku's friendship with Nataku, but it didn't come. "I believe you," he said, and yawned prodigiously.

Goku beamed. "Have a good rest, Kouryuu."

Kouryuu closed his eyes. He didn't even hear the door close behind the prince.

* * *

It was a cool night in early autumn, perfect for sleeping. This was a good thing because Goku was off with Yaone again, and Kouryuu needed all the help he could get falling asleep without him. The dry history he was trying to read was another aid, and so was he workout he'd had with Cho that afternoon, while Goku and Nataku were practicing archery. Eventually his eyelids fell shut, and he gave himself up to slumber.

He was awakened suddenly, without understanding why. Flashes of light bathed his face, and suddenly a rough grip pulled him from the bed. He landed on his knees on the floor, two men holding his arms.

"Guards!" he shouted.

A low, unpleasant chuckled came from the doorway. "Yell all you like, little Lord Sanzo. Your guards are busy and won't hear you."

Indeed, Kouryuu could hear the clash of weapons and the grunts and shouts of fighting men outside. "Bring him along," ordered the brute by the door, who was holding a lantern. Kouryuu recognized him as one of Li Touten's men.

Kouryuu was dragged to his feet and hustled out the bedroom door, through the main room, and out of the house. His bare toes were barked painfully on the stones of the pathways. He guessed that they were heading for the Palace of Revering Yang, where Li Touten lived when he was at court.

Little knots of combatants seemed to be everywhere. He saw one of Sha's Red Falcons falling to his knees, his life's blood draining out from a wound under his ribs. _Goku_ , he thought, wildly; _Where's Goku?_

For that matter, what had become of the emperor?

Courtyards, walls, gardens. Flashes of lantern light came and went. Now Kouryuu was stumbling up the stairs of Li's residence. Nataku was at the door with a drawn sword in his hand, wet with blood. His eyes widened at the sight of Kouryuu in the hands of his father's guardsmen, but he stepped back and let them drag the prince's guardian through.

The Duke of Defense was pacing in the main hall, a huge antique jian sheathed at his side. His face lit up at the sight of the prisoner. "Hah! If it isn't Lord Sanzo, the crown prince's doxy! Or maybe you're his widow by now. Put him on his knees, here, before me."

The guards slammed Kouryuu down onto the tiles of the floor. He swayed there for a moment, then launched himself at the duke's throat.

The move that had come so easily to Kouryuu the previous afternoon in the training yard was a ghost of itself when executed by a dazed mind and bruised knees and feet. Li Touten smacked him aside with a ringing blow that sent him sprawling. "You meddling little bastard! Kouryuu the orphan! You should have been sent out into the city with a begging bowl, brat!" He turned to his men. "Strip him and hold him down. Face down."

_Oh, hell no._ But it was soon done: after all, he was wearing nothing but a nightshirt. He saw Li Touten's big, heavy feet pacing back and forth before him.

"Hmm," said the duke. "Why hasn't Kougaiji returned with the prince yet?"

"I don't know, Your Excellency," said the troop leader.

"Is Bao Rui out there? Yes, excellent. You see this little bugger-boy, Bao Rui. Mark him for me."

"With what, lord duke?" Bao Rui had a nasal, sneering voice.

"'Property of Li Touten' will do."

A knee landed in Kouryuu's back. He gasped. A short, horizontal line of fire traced itself along one shoulder blade and then stopped, then another crossed it. _Seven strokes to write 'Li,"_ thought Kouryuu, drearily. Five more. How many for "Tou"? He couldn't remember.

A door banged open somewhere in the building. There was the sound of feet marching toward them. Li Touten stopped his restless pacing and roared with outrage. "You! Where is the prince? And that bastard with you is his guard captain!"

The hands holding Kouryuu down relaxed enough for him to lift his head. Count Kougaiji stood at the rear entrance to the hall, grim-faced, a naked sword in his hand. Behind his right shoulder was his faithful giant Dokuji; behind his left—Captain Sha. "I am no longer following your orders," said the count, and though his voice was not loud, every person in the room heard it clearly.

And then the main doors to the hall crashed open as well. Everyone froze.

The crown prince stood there, his beautiful new halberd in his hands, and behind him was a mixed troop of Red Falcons and the emperor's own household guard. "Duke Li Touten," said Goku, and his voice no longer sounded like that of a mere youth. "You tried to kill my father, the emperor of China. You tried to kill me. You're under arrest for treason against the Dragon Throne."

Li Touten grounded the point of his blade. "Nataku, Kougaiji has failed me. See that you don't."

There was an anxious murmur from all the combatants, both the duke's men and the prince's. Beneath the noise, Kouryuu heard Sha's voice: "Damn, that's cold."

Nataku slowly raised his huge jian. Kouryuu saw Goku go pale and swallow hard.

In one smooth, oddly beautiful movement, Li Touten's son turned his blade on himself.

Cries of dismay rang out. Kouryuu found that he could move and dragged himself to his feet. But before he could extricate himself from Li Touten's men, a wiry arm wrapped around his chest and a sharp blade was laid against his throat. "Make one move, Prince," said Bao Rui, "and that's the end of your little friend."

Goku looked at Kouryuu solemnly. "Sorry, Kouryuu." He leapt toward Li Touten. Kouryuu closed his eyes, steeling himself for death.

There was a sound like a ripe melon hitting a stone floor. The blade fell away, the arm pinioning Kouryuu released its grip, and Kouryuu collapsed.

"Oh, nice one, Dokuji!" said Sha, and he hoisted Kouryuu up from the floor and started to carry him out of the room.

"I'm naked, curse you," said Kouryuu.

"And you're half dead, and so's the emperor, and we're trying to capture a bunch of traitors and assassins. Pipe down," said Sha. But as he carried Kouryuu through the rear hall, Sha stopped and removed an embroidered hanging from a wall. He wrapped the fabric around Kouryuu's body and up over one shoulder. "There. Now you look like a holy monk of the order of Way-Too-Expensive Pieces of Cloth. Let's get going."

"I can walk!"

"Shut it. Your feet look like someone tried to pound 'em into dumpling filling, an' it's not like you weigh much."

Things had quieted down outside. Kouryuu couldn't hear any clashing of weapons, just occasional shouts and the hurried tramp of soldiers jogging along in formation. Sha carried him into the South Three Places, past his own little house, and into the Imperial Hospital. The orderlies and doctors seems to be expecting them. Kouryuu was whisked away to a room on the far side, where he'd be less likely to hear disturbances in the rest of the Forbidden City.

Sponged off, his feet, knees, and back cleaned and bandaged, Kouryuu was still unable to sleep for fear of what might be happening to Goku, to Cho, to the emperor, and even to Sha. Just after dawn, when he'd already sent away a sleeping draught, his prince came into his room.

Goku looked weary but calm. He smelled of blood, metal, and his own sweat. One of the orderlies came running with a chair for him, but before he sat, he gave Kouryuu a tender embrace, careful of his back. "What's happening?" asked Kouryuu. "Is your father still with us?"

"Yeah, he is. He's a fighter," said Goku. "Wow. I never thought I'd be sayin' that about him. But Cho says he should recover. I mean, the emperor is only fifty. I guess that's not all that old for someone who's lived a good life?"

"No," said Kouryuu. After all, Koumyou had been approaching fifty when he'd died, and that had been way too young. "What happened to the men who attacked him? And Li Touten and his men?"

"Maybe I should start at the beginning," said Goku. He rubbed his eyes. "It's funny it's only breakfast time. Seems like it's been days and days. Anyway, so when I went to see Yaone last night, Lady Gyokumen had set up this fancy dinner for us and for my father and his favorite girl, Jiao Shuai. She's real pretty. Of course, she's Li Touten's wife—Gyokumen, I mean. So it was all part of a plot. These guys rushed in after the dinner was mostly over, 'cause I guess they thought we'd have had a lot of wine. But Father says it's not good to drink a lot when you're gonna be having a good time with a lover, and I _still_ don't like wine much.

"Plus, Kougaiji had already decided he wasn't gonna play Li Touten's game anymore. I owe him a lot. He'd told Yaone about it, when he visited his mama, and she decorated the room special: she put up some old weapons, but they were in good shape. So I grabbed a spear, 'cause that's like a halberd, and I tossed Father a sword. But he's not in fighting shape anymore, so one of th' assassins got a slash into his side. Then Kougaii and Dokuji came in, and we killed all the assassins. Kougaiji told us about the plot, and Yaone started fixing Father up right there, and she sent a couple of the maids to get Doctor Hakkai and the Red Falcons.

"I think that's about when the duke's men came an' grabbed you. He was gonna make me watch you be tortured and killed before he killed me. But Kougaiji an' I got his men and the Red Falcons and Father's guards together into two troops, and we put some of the eunuch guards from the Women's Halls guarding the paths from where we were getting set up. Some of 'em are pretty good fighters, really, Kougaiji said. And then we stormed Li Touten's palace, and you know most of the rest."

"Where's Li Touten?"

"In the imperial prison, along with a couple of his senior guys. I mean, he was going to make himself emperor; it was treason any way you look at it. His wife killed herself when she found out what had happened. That weasel who was carving you up is dead, 'cause Dokuji hit him so hard."

Kouryuu closed his eyes, because he really didn't want to ask the next question. At last, he said "And Lord Nataku?"

Goku's eyes dropped. He pounded one fist gently on his knee. "He might be dying. He hasn't woken up. Doctor Cho says that even if he lives, he might not be able to fight or anything anymore." He looked at Kouryuu. "It's not right, Kouryuu. His father was treatin' him like a puppet. And he killed himself 'cause he didn't want to betray his father but he didn't want to kill me."

Kouryuu reached out and grasped Goku's wrist. "No, it isn't right. But Goku, he did make a choice. He could have surrendered to you, even if he didn't want to attack his father. He wasn't a young child: he was a young man, like you."

A tear trickled down Goku's cheek. "I guess all I can do is pray for him." He slid down from his chair and sank to his knees at Kouryuu's bedside, then rested his forehead on Kouryuu's pillow. Kouryuu stroked his hair and wished for some way to take on some of his prince's pain.

* * *

Three days later, Kouryuu was back in his own bed, in his own house, with Doctor Cho himself changing the bandages on his back. "You do realize that you'll always have scars," said the doctor.

"It's not like anyone's going to be looking at them," said Kouryuu, somewhat muffled by his pillow. "Ah, that feels better. Thank you, doctor."

"It's nothing," said Cho. "The least I can do for an old friend." He was fussing around with his medicine case, now that the bandages were tied off. "About that…is it a problem that I call you by your boyhood name when we're more or less private?"

"Huh? No. Why d'you ask?"

"Because you always call me 'doctor'! You can call me by my name, you know."

"Oh." Kouryuu thought the matter over. "I guess I spent so many years here knowing that I was just the priest's orphan that it didn't occur to me to think I could do that. But yeah, I can."

"Good." Hakkai gave him a sweet smile. "You can call Gojyo by his name too."

"Why should I be worrying about what I call that cockroach?" said Kouryuu. But he knew that wasn't fair. He remembered Sha stopping to cover his nakedness before carrying him though the Forbidden City, and how kind he always was to Goku—and Nataku. "Hakkai?"

"Yes?"

"Any change with Nataku?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He may never wake to this world again."

That was that, then. "Wish Goku would come home, already." He hadn't seen him since the morning after the attempted coup.

"I think he ought to. He hasn't been sleeping well in the palace, and the emperor is much improved. Let me see what I can do about that, it would be best for his health. After all, I _am_ his doctor. Try to rest in the meantime, Kouryuu."

It was after lunch, when Kouryuu was sitting up in the reading chair and trying to concentrate on a book, that the familiar steps came up the path. The door was flung open, letting in a gust of sweet autumn air and the crown prince of the Dragon Throne. "Kouryuu!" crowed Goku. "Man, I am so glad to see you!"

He bounded across the tiles and crashed to his knees at Kouryuu's side. Kouryuu winced, remembering how that had felt on his own knees three nights ago, but Goku simply rested his head in Kouryuu's lap with a sigh of contentment. "I'm glad to see you too, Monkey," Kouryuu said.

"I'm stayin' here tonight. Doctor Hakkai said so, so I can get a good night's sleep. But it looks like I'm not gonna have time for lessons for a while. They need me back in the Palace of Heavenly Purity t' do a bunch of Father's business while he's abed. I already gave out some judgements today. It was kinda awful."

Kouryuu stroked his hair. "Classroom lessons aren't the only kind of lessons. Sounds like you're learning plenty."

"Yeah, I know. It seems a lot more real now. It's scary, but I really feel like it's stickin' with me a lot better than it did before."

"I'll do my best to help you."

"But Doctor Hakkai says you won't be up and around for at least another three days." The prince's voice vibrated gently on Kouryuu's thigh. 

"Maybe not. But at least I can help you get a better night's sleep."

Goku lifted his head. "How?"

"How d'you think?"

Goku snickered. But then he grew serious and said "You gotta not pull your wounds. Doctor Hakkai told me."

"Doctor Hakkai is a very good doctor, but he doesn't know everything. I'll figure something out."

Goku lowered his head again and reached around to hug Kouryuu around the waist. "I love you, Kouryuu."

Kouryuu's eyes widened, but this truth demanded truth in turn. He tugged Goku's head up again and leaned down gingerly to kiss him. "I love you too, Goku."


End file.
